Window regulator operating apparatus



J. HEZLER, JR

wmoow REGULATOR OPERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 18. 1958 Aug. 16, 1990 3Sheets-Sheet 1 .IIIIIIIIL Aug. 16, 1960 J. HEZLER, JR

WINDOW REGULATOR OPERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR. 4 JJZ J/Wfi cg r I J I f. n HQ Aug. 16, 1960 J. HEZLER, JR2,949,290

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Afr/Vi) United States WINDOW REGULATOR OPERATING APPARATUS Filed Sept.'18, 19-58, Ser. No. 761,843

Claims. (Cl. 268-126} This invention relates to window regulatoroperating apparatus, and more particularly to window regulator operatingapparatus having a retractable operating crank arm.

One feature of the invention is that it provides improved windowregulator operating apparatus; another feature of the invention is thatit provides novel window regulator operating apparatus, including acrank arm which is normally in a retracted inoperative position andwhich may be extended obliquely outwardly to an operative position;still a further feature of the invention is that it provides a windowregulator operator having a gripping knob for the crank arm which, whenin locked position, is inaccessible for manual operation; and yet afurther feature of the invention is that it provides windowregulatoroperating apparatus which, when in locked position, issubstantially flush with the body on which it is mounted.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a station wagon havinga tail gate with a movable window, the regulator operating apparatus forwhich incorporates the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section takenalong the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the window regulatoroperating apparatus in a different position; Fig. 4 is a view similar toFig. 2 but showing the parts in still a different position;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a station wagon isdesignated in Fig. 1 generally as 10. The station wagon has a body 12having a tail gate 14 hingedly mounted on its rear side. The tail gatecarries a drop window 16. Fora more detailed disclosure of astationwagon tail gate having a vertically movable window, reference ishad to Patent No. 2,793,907 which issued on May 28, 1957 to W. Hess eta1. and which is entitled Vertically Swingable Station Wagon Tail-Gatewith Retractable Window. It is sufiicient here to say that the tail gateis hinged on the body at its lower edge in conventional manner and thatthe window is movable from the closed position illustrated in Fig. 1 toan open position wherein it is housed substantially entirely within thetail gate. in moving between closed and open positions, the window movesalong guides 18 and 20 which are mounted within the tail gate and thewindow is driven by a manually operable window regulator comprisinginterconnected gear sectors 22 and 24, each of which is pivotallymounted in the tail gate and each of which is connected to the window.The gear sectors are driven by a pinion 26.

While the invention is shown in connection with a tail atent O"2,949,290 Patented Aug. 16, 1960 gate window, it will be understood thatthe invention is suitable for use with many other types of windows andother types of Window regulators, including windows mounted in otherclosure members and windows mounted on fixed parts of a vehicle body.

As shown the pinion 26 is fixedly mounted on the inner end of a windowregulator drive spindle comprising a rotatable shaft 28 which, at itsouter end, is splined to a hub 30. The outer end of the hub projectsthrough an opening formed in the outer panel 14a of the tail gate 14. Anescutcheon 32 is mounted on the panel 14a over the opening therein andat its hub the escutcheon is formed with a circular recessed portion 32ahaving an opening 32b at its apex. p

The hub 30 'is formed with an integral sliding bearing portion 36arranged obliquely to the axis of the shaft 28 and an elongated crankarm 38 is slidably mounted in the bearing portion for movement obliquelyoutwardly from the hub between a retracted inoperative position as shownin Fig. 2 and an extended operative position as shown in Fig. 4. At itsouter end the crank arm 33 mounts a rotatable gripping knob 40 which isreceived in the re-' cessed portion 32a of the escutcheon 32 when thecrank arm is in its inoperative position so that the gripping knob isrelatively inaccessible and lies substantially flush with the outerpanel 14a of the tail gate 14. Stop means comprising a block 42 ismounted on the inner end of the crank arm 38 for engagement with theinner end of the bearing 36 to limit outward movement of the crank armas shown in Fig. 4. I

Locking means mounted on the crank arm 38 have a portion engageable withthe hub to lock the crank arm in inoperative position. This lockingmeans comprises a conventional key cylinder 44 rotatably mounted on theouter end of the crank arm coaxially with the gripping knob 40. Aspring-pressed pin 46 (Fig. 8) carried in a recess 48 in 'the keycylinder engages a circumferential slot 50 in the end portion of thecrank arm to permit rotation of the key cylinder with reference to thecrank arm but to prevent axial withdrawal of the cylinder. Since the keycylinder is of conventional construction which is well known in the art,its tumblers and other internal mechanisms are not shown here, it beingsufficient to say that upon the insertion of a proper key 52, thekey'cylinder may be turned through an arc of degrees. A locking pin 54is mounted in an axially extending eccentrically located recess 56 inthe back side of the 'key'cylinder, this pin being urged in a directionout of the recess by a coil spring 58. It will be seen in Figs. 2 and 7that when the crank arm is in its retracted or inoperative position, thekey cylinder is coaxial with the shaft 28 and a curved slot 60 is formedin the outer surface of the hub 30 for reception of the pin 54 tolockthe device by" preventing movement of the crank arm38' fromitsinoperative position to its operative position. The base of the slot istapered at the ends to permit the pin 54 to be cammed out of the slotwhen the key cylinder is rotated. An integral arm 62 formed on the hub30 has at its lower end a transversely extending pin 64 which mounts apair of helical springs 66. When the crank arm is in the inoperativeposition of Fig. 2, the free end of each spring 66 seats in a notch 68formed in the crank arm 38 and abuts a shoulder at the outer end of eachnotch, whereby the springs 66 urge the crank arm towards operativeposition.

When the crank arm is in the inoperative position of Fig. 2 with thelocking pin 54 in the slot 60, the crank cannot be withdrawn to itsoperative position. Even if it were possible to grasp the gripping knob40 with a tool, as a 'pair of pliers, the crank would not be rotatedabout the axis of the shaft 28 to turn the shaft and raise or lower thewindow because the knob 40 is rotatable on the 3 crank. A proper key 52may be inserted in the key cylinder 44 and turned through an arc of 90degrees to swing the eccentrically mounted locking pin 54 out of thetapered end of'the curved slot 60, whereupon the springs 66 move thecrank arm outwardly from the inoperative position of Fig. 2 to apartially operative position as shown in Fig. 3. With the parts in theposition of Fig. 3, the gripping knob 40 has been moved out of therecess 32a in the escutcheon 32 so that the knob 40 can be gripped bythe fingers of an, operator and the crank arm can be slid outwardly toits operative position illustrated in Fig. 4-. Engagement of the stopblock 42 with the lower end of the bearing portion 36 limits the rangeof outward movement. With the parts in operative position, the crank armmay be rotated about the axis of the shaft 23 as illustrated in brokenlines in Fig. 4 to turn the shaft 28 and raise or lower the window 16.When the crank arm 38 is pushed in from the operative position of Fig. 4toward the inoperative position of Fig. 2, the spring-biased locking pin54 cams over the outer surface of the hub 30 until it is aligned withthe notch 60, whereupon the locking pin 54 will pop into the notch 69when the crank arm is pushed in to lock the crank arm in its inoperativeposition.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it iscapable of many modifications. Chan es, therefore, in the constructionand arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination in a vehicle having a hollow wall member, a windowmounted on said Wall member, regulator means within said Wall member formoving said window between open and closed positions, said window whenin open position being carried within said hollow wall member, arotatable shaft connected to said regulator means, said shaft having ahub on the outer end thereof, a bearing portion on said hub arrangedobliquely to the axis of said shaft, a crank arm slidably mounted insaid bearing portion for movement obliquely outwardly from said hubbetween retracted inoperative position wherein the shaft is housedsubstantially entirely Within said hollow wall member and an extendedoperative position, a gripping knob rotatably mounted on the outer endof said crank arm, locking means on said crank arm having a portionengageable with said hub to lock the crank arm in inoperative position,and spring means on said hub engaging the crank arm for sliding thecrank arm toward operative position when the locking means is released.

2. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 1,

wherein said crank arm is formed intermediate its ends with a notchdefining a shoulder, and wherein said spring with a notch defining ashoulder, and wherein said spring means comprises a helical springhaving one end releasably seating in said notch and bearing against saidshoulder when the crank arm is in inoperative position, the end of saidspring bearing against the end of said crank arm when the crank arm isin operative position.

4. Window regulator operating apparatus of the character described,including: a window regulator drive spindle having a hub on the outerend thereof, a bearing portion on said hub arranged obliquely to theaxis of said spindle, a crank arm slidably mounted in said hearingportion for movement obliquely outwardly from said hub betweeninoperative and operative positions, a gripping knob rotatably mountedon the outer end of said crank arm, stop means comprising aprojection-on said crank arm engageable with the bearing portion of thehub to limit outward sliding movement of the crank arm, locking means onsaid crank arm comprising a key-cylinder rotatably mounted on the crankarm coaxially with said gripping knob, the key cylinder also beingsubstantially coaxial with said spindle when the crank arm is ininoperative position, and a spring-pressed pin carried by the keycylinder for engagement in, a slot in the hub, 21 support arm projectingfrom said hub generally parallel to the crank arm, said crank arm beingformed intermediate its ends with a notch defining a shoulder, and aclock-type coil spring mounted on said support arm and having its freeend releasably seated in said notch and engaging said shoulder when thecrank arm is in inoperative position for urging the crank arm towardoperative position when the locking means is released.

5. In combination in a vehicle, a window, regulator means connected tosaid window for moving said window between open and closed positions, awindow regulator drive spindle connected at its inner end to saidregulator maens and having a hub on the outer end thereof, a bearingportion on said hub arranged obliquely to the axis of said spindle, acrank arm slidably mounted in said bearing portion for movementobliquely outwardly from said hub between inoperative and operative.positions, said crank arm being formed intermediate its ends. with anotch defining a shoulder at one end thereof, means for locking saidcrank arm to said hub to retain the crank arm in inoperative position,and a clock-type coil spring mounted on said hub and having one endreleasably seated in said notch and engaging said shoulder when thecrank arm is in inoperative position for urging the crank arm towardoperative. position when the locking means is released, said end of thespring abutting the end of the crank arm when the crank arm is inoperative position to provide a yieldable holding means.

Draullette et a1. Oct. 26, 1897 Roethel Oct. 8, 1946

